There has been some attention this year, and deserved celebration, to mark two centuries since Great Britain moved to begin to outlaw slavery. Conscience-driven reformers such William Wilberforce championed the cause, and a nation that regarded itself as civilised and humane jumped in line without needing too much persuasion. While a few corners of the big end of town resisted for some decades, most people saw it as something that was self-evidently right and just. The continuance of slavery was generally accepted as morally indefensible. But continue it has.
It is a sad commentary on humanity that, since the time when people first started to live in large towns and cities about six thousand years ago, most – more than half – of them have been in slavery. Some of the population – usually a minority – has denied freedom to the rest. The Persians had slaves in great numbers, as did the Greeks and the Romans, the Chinese and Mayans, the various mediaeval and feudal overlords of Europe, and of course the conquerors and colonisers of Africa and the Americas through until little over a century ago. Behind all the wonderful and beautiful advances in knowledge, art and science lurked the dark sin of slavery. And it continues. More subtle and less visible it may be today, but persist it does. Forced child labour in parts of Asia, the prolonged and illegal disenfranchisement such as that inflicted on the Palestinians, and the trafficking of Asian and Eastern European women as prostitutes, are graphic contemporary examples, of course, but the percentage involved in these is relatively low in a world population of six billion. As tragic as those obvious forms of modern day slavery may be, they are not its most common expression. Any place where poverty, racial segregation, structural unemployment, commercial imperialism or labour exploitation prevails, a de facto slavery exists. How much of our world is in such a situation!
The denial of freedom in the twenty-first century is also found in the suburbs and towns of first-world countries. Its cause and its expression? Poor education. Here we discover the most insidious form of slavery in a world that is being metamorphosed by a digital and telecommunications revolution. There is nothing that is guaranteed to imprison people or make them subservient more than a poor education. They will be sentenced to spend their lives as victims of change rather than agents of it, as an excluded and powerless underclass in a world where knowledge and complexity of living are growing exponentially. There is nothing as liberating as a solid, general education: mastery of language, knowledge of history, understanding of the physical world, facility with numeracy, and appreciation of the finer arts and culture.
This is the best service we can provide to young people. This is the big picture that each of us at this College tries to paint with small brush strokes each day. But we offer more: we put at the heart of this liberal education the emancipating message of the gospel of Jesus who John tells us “no longer calls us slaves but friends”. This is how we interpret the mandate that was given to Marist educators by our founder, St Marcellin Champagnat: that all young people have the right and the potential to become “good Christians and good citizens.”
Strategic Directions and Priorities
This year has been the first of five that will be informed by the Going the Extra Mile, the Statement of Strategic Directions and Priorities that was adopted after last year’s College Review. In each of the sections of the statement – which form the sub-headings of the report below – some specific areas for development were identified and developed. Everything that was named for 2007 has been achieved, and more. Some areas have been nuanced during the year, and some changes have been introduced for the statement to guide 2008.
Mission Central
The first area of priority in Going the Extra Mile, the fundamental reason for the College’s foundation and continued existence, is its gospel mission. The Statement puts it unambiguously and unapologetically:
The mission of the Marist Brothers is to make Jesus Christ known and loved, through the Christian education of youth. Evangelisation is this College’s first priority, and has first call on its resources.
There would those who would hold the view that there has been no time in the seventy-eight years of this College when that mission faces greater challenges for it to be effective. Such people may point to the growing secularism in society, the loss of confidence in and commitment to public institutions including churches, the dissipation of parish life, increasing cultural diversity and moral relativism, and even an aggressive neo-atheism that is finding popularity through such articulate proponents as Richard Dawkins. While it is true that our students are growing up in the midst of all of that and cannot be totally immune to it, their innate senses of good will, openness and generosity should not be underestimated. As people of faith, we believe that we humans are of God, and made for God. In the words of the College’s patron, Saint Augustine, our hearts are made for God and remain restless until they rest in God. Ironically enough, it is arguably because most of our students have had little practical connection with the Church outside of their school life, that we find them so spontaneously open and genuinely attracted to the gospel message that is announced to them and the catechesis that follows it. They come without baggage. They come without anger and hurt, at least not in relation to the Church. We have the opportunity therefore, perhaps even more so than in the past, to evangelise in ways that are fresh, engaging and effective for them. Our Marist way is to do that, first, by the witness of our lives and the quality of our personal relationships, and secondly by the content of our teaching.
In this context, it has once again been a delight to see the numbers of students who have asked for Baptism, and also for Confirmation and for first Holy Communion. It is a testimony to the impact of faith life of the rest of the College community on these students. This has been augmented by the generous service of a number of local and visiting clergy, especially Father Jerry O’Connor who has continued to make himself available for chaplaincy at the College, and also by the great assistance offered by the Marist Spirituality Team which, through Brother Tony Leon, Mr Tony Clarke and Brother Bill Tarrant, has worked with staff and students during the year. We look forward to even greater chaplaincy services next year, through the support of the Commonwealth Government’s National Chaplaincy Programme. This scheme will enable further work to be done by Father O’Connor and Brother Bill, and also Father Victor Joseph of the Anglican Church.
The Mission activities have once again been led superbly by Brother Michael Callinan as Director of Mission, together with David Harris as Head of Religious Studies and Lionel Williamson who has helped to lead prayer and liturgy in the boarding programme. I make particular mention of Joshua Joseph from Year 12, who as Liturgy Captain this year, has been inspiring in his leadership of a weekly prayer service on Fridays before school and in other ways. He has been well supported by his fellow Seniors, particularly in animating the wonderful whole-College liturgies that have become a feature of worship at the College. The Director of Arts, Malcolm Cole, and the staff and students of the Arts Department have helped to make such occasions so memorable. They have been joined, of course, by so many members of the teaching and boarding staff who in ways big and small are able to bring their faith and their talents so effectively to the service of the College’s central purpose.
Worthy of particular highlight this year, and a specific item of the 2007 Annual Plan, has been the expansion of the community service and solidarity efforts of the College. Again the students have been especially generous in their response to different appeals during the year, to support for the Marist school which St Augustine’s supports in India, and to regular efforts such as Relay for Life, Red Cross Blood Bank, St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal and the Red Shield Appeal. To all of that this year, we have added Rosies. Both staff and senior students have volunteered their time for training and have committed to take responsibility for the Rosies van on a regular basis.
Momentum is building towards World Youth Day next year. The College has already been involved in the local Diocesan build-up through the release of David Harris one day per week to the Diocesan Office and the hosting and involvement in several events, especially the July Youth Rally and the welcoming of the WYD Cross and Icon. The students of the College have also raised money to sponsor young people from developing Pacific nations to take part in the celebrations next year. We all look forward to the growing excitement in 2008 which will climax in the ‘Days in the Diocese’ when the College will welcome overseas visitors, and the Marist International Festival in Sydney to which a Saints contingent will be travelling, and of course the WYD week itself. We pray that it all will be a time of grace for our College, for this Diocese, and for the whole Church.
Staff
With the College reaching its target enrolment this year, there was again some growth in overall staff numbers. Joining the teaching staff at the beginning of the year were Tanya Moro, Paul Martorella, and Maryanne Brooker and, during the year, Richard Bassano, Sam Kairooz and Richard Ward. The Learning Resources team had something of a makeover, with Ian Lynch as the new Director, Sally Edwards in the re-configured role of Learning Resources Technician and Silas Dick as the new Network Manager from mid-year. In the boarding division, Michael Barton joined the College to take on the role of Head of Burke Residence, while several people have become Boarding Assistants through the year: Peta McConachie, Kieran McLay and Pat Webster. During the year, Alison Febe replaced Paul Trueman as Head Chef in Tolle’s, Judy Sturgess replaced Jane Morriss as Arts Assistant, and Kim Vani took over Kerry Doolan’s role as Food Technology Assistant for a semester. Also in the course of the year, Toby Kutcha was appointed to the new role of Building and Facilities Manager, while long-serving member of staff, Michael McCabe, retired from the role of Transport and Activities Officer. At the end of this year, we bid farewell to several people. Notable among them is Mary O’Shane, who has worked with our indigenous students for over two decades and retires this December. We will also be the poorer for the departure of Michael Hurst, the Head of Lower Secondary, who is taking up some business interests, Sam Anderson. The College’s best wishes also go with Sam Anderson who has won a senior position at another Marist school. Most of Mr Anderson’s teaching career has been at St Augustine’s and we know that that experience will serve him well in his future professional life. From the boarding programme we will miss Michael Barton who is moving back to Sydney to take a different professional direction and to be nearer to family, and Tania Gifford who has been associated with Chavoin from its inception in 2003.
The College has no greater asset than its staff. What is expected of a member of the St Augustine’s staff is more than many schools, perhaps considerably more. But that is why most people have chosen to work here; that is the kind of people they are. They want to be part of something that is better than the ordinary, and they know that such a place is created by the extraordinary efforts of its members. I thank them, and I congratulate them. There is no where in the College more than in its staff that Going the Extra Mile is a reality. It is seen in the quality of teaching and caring that occurs day in and day out, the number of extra tutorials and many examples of spontaneous assistance that are offered, and the breadth and quality of the co-curricular activities that are made possible through the generosity of staff.
In the area of spiritual and professional development, a range of initiatives was taken. Czek Kersevani and Brother Michael Callinan participated in Hermitage 07, a month-long programme in Marist spirituality and education in France and Italy, while almost twenty members of staff took advantage of the Sharing Marcellin’s Vision and Sharing Our Call spirituality programmes. Quite a number of other professional development and conference opportunities were taken up during the year, with most members of staff availing themselves of them. A special focus was on conferences and workshops that addressed the learning and developmental needs of boys.
Pastoral Care and Student Leadership
The College is defined by the style of its care of students, so capably led by Chris Chapman. The respect and the affection that the students have for this man who holds the demanding role Deputy Principal (Pastoral) is well known. As Mr Chapman moves to the new Deputy’s position of Director of Staff next year, he leaves Brother Matthew with a pastoral care programme that is at the heart of what constitutes the “Saints Spirit”.
With the expansion of the Senior School Team to include Czek Kersevani in the new position of Senior Studies Coordinator, the Pastoral Care Team is now at full strength. Terry McDonough was a welcome re-inclusion in the PCT, taking over Mr Kersevani’s responsibility for Year 11. A significant initiative in 2007 was the introduction of a weekly assembly for each year level, something that has complemented well Thursday’s Pastoral Care periods and College Assemblies.
The year has been marked by the quality of the student leadership. We are now in the second year of a re-vamped structure for the appointment of Prefects and the way their responsibilities are carried out. Under the leadership of Ben Billiau as College Captain, the Prefects have been both active and effective across the whole life of the College. In developing their own mission statement at the beginning of the year, they set high benchmarks for themselves, all of which they have reached and surpassed. In congratulate them on a fine year. The number of boys who now seek positions of leadership is outstanding, and a testament to the high value with which this group is held by the student body. So, also, have the Student Representative Council been helpful in feeding into the decision-making of the College in a number of ways during the year.
Teaching and Learning Going the Extra Mile names “Excellence in Learning” as one of the priority areas of the College. How does one measure “excellence” and, indeed, how “learning”? Megalitres of ink have been spilled in attempts to answer to those questions. Governments and media jump to offer simplistic measures; simplicity helps mollify taxpayers and sell newspapers. Education is more complex than league tables and the number of OP1s, and the answers are going to be different for each student. I offer one measure. Anecdotal it may be, admittedly, but nonetheless telling, because I could cite many similar examples. It was in a comment that a teacher new to the College made to me: “I can’t believe how keen all my Year Tens are to be awarded one of those Academic Awards at Assembly,” the teacher said. “In my experience, it would be last thing that an average Year Ten boy would want to do in front of his peers.” The remark meant more to me than the measure that we actually did award more Certificates of Academic Excellence than any year in the last six. The teacher’s observation said something about the attitude of our students towards their learning and towards achievement in their learning. There is perhaps no greater influence on teenage boys than peer influence, and if the peer influence is one that encourages excellence, then excellence is likely to happen. And it has. As for those more simplistic measures, I am pleased to report that the College has led the region once again in those.
Under the leadership of John Doolan, fresh from his experience of the UK education system, the Heads of Department group was expanded and re-named the Academic Leadership Team, something that has been intended to reflect their collective leadership of the academic life of the College. Among the major concerns this year has been an examination of Dimensions of Learning – an integrated approach to teaching that has been adopted by a number of leading schools around the country. The ALT has been impressed with the practical and ready advantages that DOL could offer the College and have decided to phase in its introduction from next year. It will complement the on-going critical analysis the teaching and learning process that is also being undertaken through the gradual introduction of “unit evaluations” each term.
Enrolment consolidation
The pressure of enrolments has been intense over the last couple of years. For two years now, the College has had more than twice the number of applicants for Year 8 than it has been able to accept. The demand has been for both day and boarding places, with weekly boarding proving to be a very popular option for many students, especially in their senior years. Unfortunately, many families have been disappointed by not winning a place at the College. For sound reasons, however, Going the Extra Mile has chosen to cap the College’s enrolment. Educationally, financially and strategically, there are clear advantages in the status quo for St Augustine’s. The College is also aware that the decision for most families to send their sons to St Augustine’s is also a decision not to take another option that may be more geographically convenient and financially less costly. This knowledge is something that the leadership and staff of the College will need to keep to the fore of their thinking as they plan and develop the style of school that St Augustine’s College is to be.
One open question that was named in Going the Extra Mile was the possible re-introduction of the full range of the middle years of schooling. Grades Five, Six, and Seven were discontinued at the College just on twenty years ago, but there seems to be quickly growing interest in bringing them back. This is a question that would be timely to re-open with the College community and with the Diocese in the next twelve months.
The Boarding Programme
Boarding remains one of the features of the College, a real success story. The key ingredient, of course, is the calibre of people who lead it, under the overall coordination of Dick Morriss. They are an exceptional group of men and women – exceptionally generous, exceptionally wise, exceptionally able. The decision for any family to enter their son or daughter into the boarding programme is a significant one – emotionally, educationally and financially. That they are choosing “Saints Boarding” in such numbers and with such enthusiasm says a great deal not just about the value they see in the programme itself, but about the people who have developed it and conduct it. I offer them my heartfelt thanks and appreciation. I deeply admire how they have chosen to spend their lives, devoted to moulding and serving young people, in ways that only a boarding school can offer. A special word of thanks to Tania Gifford who leaves the College as Head of Chavoin this year. Ms Gifford came to us in the first year of girls’ boarding five years ago, and over the last two years has led Chavoin with great warmth, compassion and flair.
The College has settled now on a two-year rotation for its four annual “country dinners”. This year gatherings were held at Malanda, Mission Beach, and at Nhulumbuy and Alyangula in the Northern Territory. As always, they were well attended and enjoyed, and reflections of the close bond that exists between the staff and the parents of the students.
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Extra-mural activities
So much is taken on outside of normal classes in the course of any year at this College! So many sporting teams and activities, so many opportunities in the Arts, so much done in outdoor education, retreats, debating and public speaking, and in community service! All of it depends on the willingness of staff to give of their time and expertise, something for which the entire College family should be greatly appreciative. Much of these co-curricular offerings, especially in the arts and in inter-school sport, is increasingly undertaken in cooperation with the girls and staff of St Monica’s College.
The College’s trophy cabinet continues to be a crowded place! Once again, Saints has finished the sporting year the undisputed champion school. The handing over of premiership cups and shields is a regular feature of College Assemblies. The CISSA competition – this year made more competitive by fewer schools and a changed structure – was wrapped up in June, along with each of the one day events – swimming, athletics and cross country. There was a welcome return to form from the First XI Cricket, to match the success of the First XIII and First XV. In line with directions named in Going the Extra Mile the College has been at the forefront of trying to grow inter-school competition in Cairns, particularly in the junior years. John Brimstone, as Director of Sport, continues to expand the horizons and the standards of Saints Sport. The College has began to make moves back into direct involvement in club sport, at this stage in basketball and swimming. The new Saints Basketball Club – exclusively for students of the College – has had a very successful season, while next year a re-imaged “Saints Swimming” is planning a major development.
The Arts programme, a specific priority in Going the Extra Mile, has continued to grow in size and in quality. The expansion of the number of students studying strings has been particularly welcome, as has been the enthusiastic embrace of Saints Youth Theatre. Under the leadership of Malcolm Cole, as Director of Arts, the number and achievements of students involved in Arts activities outside of the normal curriculum has been impressive. Among many performances and events, worthy of particular note was the sold-out season of Disco Inferno, the Strings Ensemble tour to Brisbane, and the Saints Youth Theatre entry into the Festival of Cairns.
Capital Development & Financial Planning
After the major constructions of 2006, this year’s developments have been more modest but nonetheless welcome. There has been a further expansion of the College’s ICT and multi-media roll-out, with now almost half the classrooms equipped, and more planned for the upcoming student vacation. The aim is, in line with Going the Extra Mile, to have all teaching spaces both multi-media ready and wireless capable within two years. Outside the classroom, two new tennis courts were built on the Scott Street property, and new cricket nets erected on the main campus. On the drawing board are the new Arts Complex, the refurbishment of the library and computer area as the “Gildas Centre”, and the completion of the Chapel entrance. For the last project, I gratefully acknowledge a major contribution from Lou Piccone, a most loyal and generous Old Boy of the College. Thanks to a large grant from the State Government, the roof of the original 1938 building was replaced at the beginning of the year. A smaller grant from the Commonwealth Government, matched with contributed joinery from our own staff, allowed for a new Graphics Room to be installed in the INTAD Centre.
Financially, the College has performed solidly, and in line with projection. A major factor in maintaining a predictable and sure cash flow is the promptness with which school fees are paid, and so I thank the great majority of families who have ensured that this is the case. Amidst everything else that happens, it can sometimes be overlooked that the College is also a major business concern, and so in continuous need of careful management. My thanks to the College’s Business Manager, Nick Campitelli, for his meticulous and competent direction of this part of the College, and his planning for the next five years.
The Saints Family
The most frequent words in the above paragraphs have to do with gratitude and appreciation, and deliberately so. It takes many people to make a College like St Augustine’s. I am recurringly humbled by the immensity of the contribution that members of the College family are inspired to make. I see it daily from our students, our staff, our parents, and others who support the College. We may be sometimes glib about the “Saints Spirit” and even take it for granted, but at its core is an attitude and a commitment by everyday people who band together, time and again, to achieve uncommonly well.
Personally, I could wish for no more selfless and sensible group of professionals with whom to share the direction of the College than the current Leadership Team. We operate in a way that is open, flexible, mutually supportive and, I trust, wise. With them, I thank each member of our large and diverse staff who each day makes his or her individual brush strokes to the canvas of our Marist educational project here at St Augustine’s. I gratefully acknowledge the many who support and serve the College in a variety of ways: our Parents and Friends Association, the Old Boys Union, Catholic Education Services, the Marist Ministries Office, the priests of the Diocese, and various agencies of the City, State and Commonwealth Government. It is, however, the students of the College to whom I reserve the strongest ‘thank-you’: it is for you that this whole enterprise exists, and from you that we generate our inspiration and reason for making it better. It is in you we hope to see grow into free, responsible, critical, articulate, faithful, compassionate and just Christians and citizens.
As I take leave from the St Augustine’s for six months to assume another role for the Marist Brothers in Rome, I confidently entrust its leadership to Brother David Hall. The College is most fortunate to have a man of Brother David’s ability and insight, while he will also be so fortunate to be able to spend some this time among a wonderful family.
Principal’s Report